Audio processing system

• US 6,804,504 B1
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovative Electronic Designs, LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovative Electronic Designs, Inc.
• Inventors: Johnson, John D., Ponto, Robert A., Mullaney, Patrick B., Flinn, Brian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tony T.
• Application Number:
  US10/226,663
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/216, 455/221, 455/300, 455/301, 455/344, 381/394, 381/395, 381/189, 381/322, 381/365, 381/94.2
• US Class Current: 455/344
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios

Abstract

The instant invention provides a digital audio processing system that includes a mainframe chassis, a central processor card, a plurality of analog input cards, and a plurality of analog output cards for accepting a plurality of audio inputs and producing a plurality of mixed audio outputs.

Claims

1. A system for processing audio signals comprising:

a central processing card having a microprocessor, a system memory, a plurality of digital signal processors, and at least one communications bus connecting said system memory and said digital signal processors for receiving and transmitting data thereon;

at least one analog input card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog signal input channels, and a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus;

at least one analog output card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog audio output channels, and a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus;

a component chassis having a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of cards and a backplane capable of forming a plurality of electrical connections with said at least one input card, said at least one output card, said central processing card and the at least one communications bus; and

wherein all analog input signals to said at least one input card and all analog output signals from said at least one output card are isolated from all digital domain signals in said system.

2. A system for processing audio signals as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

at least one analog input card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog signal input channels, a plurality of analog to digital converters for converting the signal inputs into digital data, a plurality of digital signal processors, and a first communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus; and

a second communications bus for transmitting data directly from the digital signal processors of said analog input card to the central processing card digital signal processors.

3. A system for processing audio signals as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

at least one analog output card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog output channels, a plurality of digital to analog converters for converting a digital data stream into a plurality of analog outputs, a plurality of digital signal processors, and a first communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus; and

a second communications bus for transmitting data directly from the digital signal processors of said analog output card to the central processing card digital signal processors.

4. A system for processing audio signals as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

an analog input card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog signal input channels for accepting a plurality of analog input signals, a plurality of analog to digital converters for converting a signal input into digital data, a plurality of digital signal processors, a first communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus, a second communications bus for transmitting data directly from the digital signal processors of said analog input card to the central processing card digital signal processors, and a ground plane corresponding to the analog input signals, the ground plane covering a portion of said input card located proximate the analog signal input channels wherein the analog signals present on said input card are electrically and physically isolated from the digital signals present thereon.

5. A system for processing audio signals as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

an analog output card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog output channels, a plurality of digital to analog converters for converting a digital data stream into a plurality of analog outputs, a plurality of digital signal processors, a first communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus, a second communications bus for transmitting data directly from the digital signal processors of said analog output card to the central processing card digital signal processors, and a ground plane corresponding to the analog outputs, the ground plane covering a portion of said output card located proximate the analog output channels wherein the analog signals present on said card are electrically and physically isolated from the digital signals present thereon.

6. A system for processing audio signals comprising:

a central processing card having a microprocessor, a system memory, a plurality of digital signal processors, at least one communications bus connecting said system memory and said digital signal processors, and a multi-port memory for storing data accessible to each of said digital signal processors;

at least one analog input card having a microprocessor, a plurality of signal input channels, and a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus;

at least one analog output card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog audio output channels, and a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus;

a component chassis having a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of cards and a backplane capable of forming a plurality of electrical connections with said at least one input card, said at least one output card, said central processing card and the at least one communications bus; and

wherein all analog input signals to said at least one input card and all analog output signals from said at least one output card are isolated from all digital domain signals in said system.

7. A system for processing audio signals comprising:

a central processing card having a microprocessor, a system memory, a plurality of digital signal processors, at least one communications bus connecting said system memory and said digital signal processors, and a multi-port memory for storing data accessible to each of said digital signal processors;

at least one analog input card having a microprocessor, a plurality of signal input channels, and a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus;

at least one analog output card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog audio output channels, and a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said at least one communications bus;

a component chassis having a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of cards and a backplane capable of forming a plurality of electrical connections with said at least one input card, said at least one output card, said central processing card and the at least one communications bus; and

wherein all analog input signals to said at least one input card and all analog output signals from said at least one output card are isolated from all digital domain signals in said system by routing all analog signals in through said input and output cards and having only digital signals transmitted on said backplane.

8. A system for processing audio signals comprising:

a central processing card having a microprocessor, a system memory, a plurality of digital signal processors, a first communications bus connecting said system memory and the digital signal processors, a multi-port memory for storing data accessible to each of said plurality of digital signal processors, and a second communications bus for transmitting data between the digital signal processors;

at least one analog input card having a microprocessor, a plurality of signal input channels, a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said first communications bus, at least one digital signal processor for processing audio programming objects, and a second communications port for transmitting data between the at least one digital signal processor and the multi-port memory;

at least one analog output card having a microprocessor, a plurality of analog audio output channels, and a communications port for receiving and transmitting data on said first communications bus at least one digital signal processor for processing audio programming objects, and a second communications port for transmitting data between the at least one digital signal processor and the multi-port memory;

a component chassis having a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of cards and a backplane capable of forming a plurality of electrical connections with said at least one input card, said at least one output card, said central processing card and the first and second communications busses; and

wherein all analog input signals to said at least one input card and all analog output signals from said at least one output card are isolated from all digital domain signals in said system by routing all analog signals in through said input and output cards and having only digital signals transmitted on said backplane.

9. A system for processing audio signals comprising:

a component chassis having a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of system cards and a backplane capable of forming a plurality of electrical connections with said cards;

a central processing card having a microprocessor, a system memory in communication with the microprocessor via a first communications bus, a plurality of digital signal processors, and a multi-port memory in communication with the digital signal processors via a second communications bus wherein said first and second communications busses extend down the backplane;

at least one analog input card having a microprocessor capable of transmitting and receiving data on the first communications bus, a plurality of analog signal inputs, a plurality of analog to digital converters for producing a digital representation of the analog inputs, at least one digital signal processor for processing software objects capable of transmitting and receiving data on the second communications bus between the at least one digital signal processor and the multi-port memory;

at least one analog output card having a microprocessor capable of transmitting and receiving data on the first communications bus, a plurality of analog outputs, a plurality of digital to analog converters for producing an analog output from a digital signal, at least one digital signal processor for processing software objects capable of transmitting and receiving data on the second communications bus between the at least one digital signal processor and the multi-port memory; and

wherein the multi-port memory is partitioned into first and second data segments, the first data segment having data written thereto in a given sample time and the second data segment having data read therefrom in a given sample time and wherein the first and second data segments are swapped at the end of each sample time.

11. A system as claimed in claim 9 wherein the system permits a user to set a predetermined maximum number of analog inputs that may be gated on at any time.

10. A system for processing audio signals comprising:

a component chassis having a plurality of slots for receiving a plurality of system cards and a backplane capable of forming a plurality of electrical connections with said cards;

a central processing card having a microprocessor, a system memory in communication with the microprocessor via a first communications bus, a plurality of digital signal processors, and a multi-port memory in communication with the digital signal processors via a second communications bus wherein said first and second communications busses extend down the backplane;

at least one analog input card having a microprocessor capable of transmitting and receiving data on the first communications bus, a plurality of analog signal inputs, a plurality of analog to digital converters for producing a digital representation of the analog inputs, at least one digital signal processor for processing software objects capable of transmitting and receiving data on the second communications bus between the at least one digital signal processor and the multi-port memory;

at least one analog output card having a microprocessor capable of transmitting and receiving data on the first communications bus, a plurality of analog outputs, a plurality of digital to analog converters for producing an analog output from a digital signal, at least one digital signal processor for processing software objects capable of transmitting and receiving data on the second communications bus between the at least one digital signal processor and the multi-port memory; and

wherein the system permits a user to set a predetermined number of analog inputs that may be gated on at any time.

12. A system as claimed in claim 10 wherein an analog input on the at least one analog input card is gated on only when its signal level exceeds the level of a discriminator signal calculated by summing the levels of all analog input signals.

13. A method for processing audio signal data in an audio processing system having a microprocessor and a system memory comprising the steps of:

a) partitioning the memory into two data segments representative of the same data addresses;

b) writing data only to a first of the two data segments;

c) reading data only from a second of the two data segments; and

d) swapping the data in the first and second data segments each sampling time of said microprocessor whereby the data in the first and second data segments are simultaneously accessible for parallel processing tasks.